The Washington critic., 1887-09-09
spoIrINo ron rur spoIIg,

tnN ptNt tIllltNl 'l 'ut hAttN RLAlN's
There are probably several thousands
more than this. but il i,ratcssentlal to
the Illustration Df ou point 10 state
The exact figures
1t may olsp be stated rs nppr5xl.
mately correct, That of the 90 u90, o00of
people In the United States ,here are
about II 600 600 voters.
How many ~ these ara feeding at
the public crib?
BY simple mathematical calculation
1t will be found that .Ne T.' sM o,llcc.
holders in tbi- country constitute bu;
1893 l000ihs Of oee par cent OF the
voting population, and only l6 iooth.
of one per ceut OF ,ha entire popull.
lion.
A pretty small percentage. Is II not
Yet small aud comparatively insig-
nifcant, numerically con-id red, as this
proportion is, it represents the most
despotic of all political forces, plays
more influential part than auy other In
the administration Of public Affairs
and consumes more Of the Govern.
ments time than all other great
material interests Of the country COM
bined.
We have no doubt that Dir, Cleveland
will bear us out In this assertion.
The distribution of these one hundred
thousand offices would seem, indeed,
TO be the chief end and object of the
American Government.
Questions of commerce and finance,
OF tariff and taxation, of war and peace,
Of naval reconstruction and army reor.
sinization, of foreign diplomacy and
domestic policy, important as they are,
occupy but small fraction of the at.
tention which Is required to settle the
quarrels OF the place hunters; In fact,
are often subordinated to the higher
consideration of how the spoils of
office shall be satisfactorily disbursed.
Where an occasional Cabinet meeting
is devoted to conferences affecting the
really vital interests Of these &C, ,0O0,0 900
people, days and weeks are lavished
pom the disposition of Il foreign mis-.
on or customs collectorship, or some
t. crumb of public patronage out of
G hundred thousand crumbs to be par.
celled out.
An urgent eXtrali,iOn treaty can be
put off till TO morrow or next day, or
a month hence; the man who wants n
postoillce is bound to he heard to day.
What 10 do with the outstanding bonds
and the surplus in The Treasury can lie
over for six months Dr year, the dele.
cations that demand Il United S1alesMar.
shalship cannot be denied immediate
and repeated audiences. Three fourths
of the time OF the President is taken
up with the clamor Of the few, hun.
gering for official pap, TO the necessary
neglect of the many and their much
more nomentous concerns
The late controversy relative TO GER
tain removals and appointments in the
Philadelphia PUstJllice aud Chicago
Custom House has cost more time In
the alleged interest of Civil Service
Reform than has ever been given to
the Canadian fishery question, and
nothing has been or ever will be set.
tied In regard TO it, except that the
postmaster and collector will be allowed
to do pretty much as they please, and
that was settled In the first place. The
investigation has simply gone round
In circle and ends where 1t began.
From the noise and confusion kept
d. up by the salary seeking element, one
would suppose that this was q govern.
ment "of the office holders, by the
office holders, for the office. holders" +"
instead of government "of the people,
by the people, for the people"
What to do about 1t? Aye, there j
the rub
AS long as there are 100000 offices
TO fill 1t will require time and trouble to
fill them, but Mr.. Cleveland may sue
ceed in inaugurating some shorter,
sharper, more decisive methods than
have hitherto obtained In the disposl-
tion Of his patronage. Herein lie vast
possibilities of genuine civil service re.
form, and the President who succeeds
in grasping them will win immortal
honor as the great purifier and read
juster of American politics.
THE banquet and reception in the
big hall OF the new Pension luilling
last evening may 60 on record as a
glorious success. The ru5hcr and the
scrambler were here, a. they always
are whenever there Is anything 70 cli
or drink in sight but their proverbill
ofensiveness was comparatively sun
duod, and everybody succeeded In Sc
curing an unusual average OF enjoy
ment. The committee of arrange
ments are to be congratulated upon Tho
agreeable result Of their Abggs.
BEN. BUTLER and Bob Tngcrsoll
have locked horns on Mr.. DJnuelIy' 5
Shakspearian theory, the former being
convert to the BacouiGu idea and the
latter having abundant fuith in the
identity Of William Shakespeare and
the genuineness of the plays attributed
TO his authorship. What lecture
team these two gentlemen would make
on this very question. The speculatol
who can bring about their joint com
bination will find IL a veritable bonanza
The movement which received such
vigorous impetus in Boston not long
ago, towards the admission to citizen
ship of all English, Scotch and Cana
dian residents, who propose to re-
main permanently In this country Is